June 2013

THE CATALYST SLIPPERY ROCK WATERSHED COALITION MONTHLY ACTIVITIES UPDATE

NEXT MEETING: 7 pm on 6/13/13 at Jennings Environmental Education Center, pizza and pop provided. 5/9/13 meeting attendance: C. Denholm, B. Kuban, V. Kefeli, J. McNerney, G. McNerney, W. Taylor, F. Van Atta

Live Stakes Planting

“The Grand Finale” Carney Streambank Restoration

Over 700 (!!!) live stakes were planted on April 30th at the Carney streambank restoration site located along Slippery Rock Creek in Slippery Rock, PA. Shaun Busler and Cliff Denholm of Stream Restoration Inc. and the SRWC, neighbors and land owners Darrell Car-ney and Deb Priorie, and Slippery Rock University student volunteers Laura Faessel and Nathan Baldwin made up the 6-person crew who worked hard all day to complete the planting, in order to establish vegetation needed for long-term stabilization.

SRI certainly appreciated the added efforts of the land owners and neighbors who contributed to the team effort. Trying her hand for the first time at planting live stakes, Deb Priorie quickly learned about the processes and techniques used “in her backyard” to stabilize the stream-bank. Drills and iron bars were used to make small holes in the ground, then the stakes were inserted and pounded-in with rubber mallets. A total of 700 black wil-low and silky willow live stakes were planted, which had been purchased from Enviro-Seeds, a company which harvests native wildflower and wetland plant seeds, along with bio-engineering material for streambank stabilization and erosion control. The “stakes” are branches of shrubs that easily re-root themselves — ideal for stream banks because the roots grow thick and are excellent at holding the soils together, thus good for preventing erosion.

Prior to starting the stabilization project in 2012, the streambank had eroded back in some places up to about 75’ within the last decade. This spring’s planting was the final step in the stabilization process. The first phase of bank stabilization at the site was completed last summer, when employees of BioMost, Inc. and additional volun-teers re-contoured the bank, installed erosion control blankets, placed large stone boulders along the toe, and planted root wads.

This project would not have been possible without the substantial in-kind contributions by volunteers and the de-sign and construction team and the generous support by the Foundation for PA Watersheds, which we gratefully acknowledge!!!!

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Announcing Registration for the Riverboat Cruise!

Mark your calendars, set your watches, tie a string around your finger—whatever you have to do to remem-ber that Monday July 1st marks the opening day to register for the 12th Annual 2013 Ohio River Water-shed Celebration! Registration will begin promptly at 10:00 AM at the official web site of the ORWC: www.orwc.org. Once again, two cruises will be offered at the same time: the Imagination Cruise for stu-dents, their teachers, and families; and the Networking Cruise for professionals and adults ages 18+. Regis-ter for only one cruise! Each cruise promises to offer fun, learning opportunities as we sail the Ohio River and enjoy poster displays, hands-on activities, presentations, special guest speakers, a trip through a lock and dam, narration of historical points-of-interest, and the gorgeous view of Pittsburgh’s cityscape with full autumn foliage! The ORWC is scheduled for Thursday, September 19th, with activities at the Gateway Clipper Fleet’s dock area and aboard the vessels starting around 10 AM. Please remember to register EACH participant individually, not as a single group or family! A limited number of spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. As usual, the cruise and all related activities are free and open to the general public, thanks to our very generous sponsors! If you are interested in being a sponsor of this year’s ORWC, please contact Stream Restoration Inc. at sri@streamrestorationinc.org. Whether this will be your first cruise or your twelfth, we hope you will sign up to join us for what is sure to be a fun and exciting time in Pittsburgh! All are welcome and hundreds are expected: students, teachers, inter-ested citizens, environmental groups, science professionals, government officials, business and industry leaders, etc.

The last phase in stabilizing the streambank of Slippery Rock Creek at the Carney site near Slippery Rock Campground was completed in April with planting of live stakes. (See article, front page.) A resident Northern Leopard Frog (photo at left) approved of the job, which was completed with help from landowners Deb Priorie (photo at right), Darrell Carney, and student volunteers from Slippery Rock University.

The KIDS Catalyst SLIPPERY ROCK WATERSHED COALITION FUN ACTIVITY

All the Colors of the Rainbow

Name ______________________ Age ___ Address __________________________________________

What makes a rainbow? Rainbows happen when sunlight and rain combine in a very specific way. The beams of sunlight separate into the colors we see in the rainbow as they enter a raindrop. Sunlight is actually made up of dif-ferent colors that we don't usually see. When a beam of sunlight comes down to Earth, the light is white. But, if the light beam happens to hit raindrops on the way down at a certain angle, the different colors that make up the beam separate so that we can see them -- in the form of a rainbow. The angle for each color of a rainbow is different, be-cause the colors slow down at different speeds when they enter the raindrop. The light exits the raindrop in one color, depending on the angle it came in, so we see only one color coming from each raindrop. Light at different an-gles coming through many raindrops form the rainbow that we see, in stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, in-digo and violet. Have fun coloring the rainbow below, and if you send us your colored picture we’ll mail you a free gift certificate for a yummy treat! We hope you can spot a rainbow this summer!

Rainbow fun facts:

• The best time to see a rainbow is when half of the sky is still dark with draining clouds and the observer is at a spot with clear sky overhead. • It’s true that a rainbow is actually a full circle. Viewed from an airplane under the right conditions, the entire

rainbow circle can sometimes be seen. We can’t see the whole rainbow circle (only an arc) from earth because the horizon is in the way. • A “double rainbow” is called a Secondary Rainbow. They are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops. As a result of the second reflection, the colors of a secondary rainbow are inverted (opposite) compared to the primary rainbow. • The rainbow effect can be created by spraying water from a garden hose on a sunny day, and is also seen

at waterfalls and fountains.

NONPROFIT

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PERMIT NO. 63

Mars, PA

Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition c/o Stream Restoration Incorporated

A PA Non-Profit Organization

434 Spring Street Ext.

Mars, PA 16046

Thanks to The William & Frances Aloe Charitable Foundation, Environmentally Innovative Solutions, LLC, Dominion Peoples, Amerikohl Mining, Inc., Quality Aggregates Inc., Drs. Ron & Kathy Falk Family, BioMost, Inc., Allegheny Mineral Corporation and PA DEP for their support. For more information contact: Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition, c/o Stream Restoration Incorporated (PA non-profit), 434 Spring Street Ext., Mars, PA 16046 (724)776-0161, fax (724)776-0166, sri@streamrestorationinc.org, www.srwc.org. June distribution: 1151 copies

“Paddle Without Pollution” Cleans Up Slippery Rock Creek

“Low impact, big results” is the mantra of Paddle Without Pollution, a non-profit based in Pittsburgh, PA, and group was in action on Saturday, April 27 on the Slippery Rock Creek. Paddle Without Pollution, in partnership with Jennings Environmental Education Center, organized a group of 15 volunteer paddlers to remove trash and debris along a five-mile section of stream – from Camp Crestfield to Studebaker Road bridge. The group met at Jennings to

check in and gather snacks, maps, and other supplies, and to learn about the efforts of the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition and Stream Restoration, Inc. from Cliff Denholm. After carpooling to the put-in location, almost immediately, the group encountered a unidenti-fiable, large plastic pallet. Thankfully, the experienced volunteers rec-ognized that, while the debris was entangled in a tree, extrication and transport of the pallet downstream were feasible. With a little muscle and a few tools, the first of many large objects were removed from the creek. Along the way, the group picked up tractor, truck, and car tires, several lawn chairs, a living room chair, a picnic bench-style glider, an air conditioner, at least nine bags of assorted trash and recycling, and more, all totaling approximately 900 pounds! Many in the group pad-dled their own craft – some in kayaks, some in canoes, while others paddled boats supplied by Paddle Without Pollution. After all of the hard work, the volunteers were rewarded with a lunch back at Jennings, provided by Jennings, 3MJC, and Paddle Without Pollution. While the clean-up was very successful, there are more sections to

tackle in the future, and Jennings and Paddle Without Pollu-tion plan to work together again next year on a new stretch of the stream. In the meantime, Paddle Without Pollution, under the direction of Melissa and David Rohm, are hard at work on other streams and rivers in the region. The group has since cleaned up Ten Mile Creek in Washington County, the Allegheny River near Tarentum, and the Three Rivers near Point State Park. Upcoming clean-ups include several on the Ohio River, as well as on the Allegheny near Franklin and near Allegheny Islands State Park near Harmar. For more information on Paddle Without Pollution, or to sign up for a clean-up, visit http://paddlewithoutpollution.com/.